Colgate University Libraries News and Events

Studious students will continue to study while off campus during the Thanksgiving break. A common question about this time is “can I / how do I access library resources when I’m off campus?” Here are some answers:
 
Books
 
You can search catalogs (Colgate’s, ConnectNY, WorldCat) from off campus. You can continue to request materials from ConnectNY and WorldCat (via MyLoan) as well. You can also request materials to be retrieved from LASR. Loaned and retrieved materials will be held for pick-up at the Case-Geyer circulation desk for a limited time after the break.
 
Journal Indexes, Databases and Articles
 
Off campus access to journal indexes, databases and articles is dependent on the resource’s vendor policy. Information regarding resource availability from off campus is found on resource launch pages that are linked to from the libraries’ Databases A–Z page. The statement “Remote Access Allowed” is on every launch page, and is usually followed by “Yes” or “No”. If remote access is allowed, a login page will appear when you click on the link-button that states “Connect to: some resource.” At that point you enter your network credentials, and a connection should be made. Details about proxy access to library resources are on the “connect from off campus” page.
Happy Thanksgiving!

The end of the semester is in the headlights.  Thanksgiving break is around the corner, and where are you at with your term paper projects?

Haven’t started? Oh No!

Don’t panic, we can help, in a number of ways.

Assignment Calculator

Initially, you can plan your research activities using the Assignment Calculator.  Use this tool to enter the start date for your research project (TODAY,) and its due date to create a schedule of tasks necessary to complete your project.  The resulting schedule suggests how much time to allot each task, and provides links to information resources that explain the task.

Ask A Librarian

Secondly, contact a reference librarian.  They are here to help you in a variety of ways; discussing your research interests, assisting you to articulate your project, finding vocabulary to define your project, and finding resources that are germane to your research.  You can contact a librarian in a variety of ways.  Don’t be shy, they are truly interested in facilitating your learning.

RefWorks

Lastly, use RefWorks to collect, organize and expound your research.  If you are unfamiliar with this bibliographic management tool, contact a librarian, and they can show you how to use it in thirty to forty-five minutes.
 

PubMed has a redesigned interface.

According to a NLM Technical Bulletin, the PubMed “interface was simplified to make it easier to use while promoting scientific discovery.”  The interface was made live on the 27th of October.  Major changes are detailed in the bulletin.

Locally, the change means that the CU ArticleLinker icon is now located at the top right of a full citation display, next to were other “full text” access icons are displayed.  It is noted here that many full text access icons lead to “pay-gate” dead ends; publisher pages that ask for payment before permitting access to the full text of an article.  CU community members are encouraged to use the CU ArticleLinker icon to check for access to full text articles instead of other full text linking icons.

While on the topic, one might ask “what’s the difference between PubMed and Medline?”  In short, there are more resources available via PubMed.  A National Library of Medicine Fact Sheet explains:

“In addition to MEDLINE citations, PubMed also contains:

    * In-process citations which provide a record for an article before it is indexed with MeSH and added to MEDLINE or converted to out-of-scope status.
    * Citations that precede the date that a journal was selected for MEDLINE indexing (when supplied electronically by the publisher).
    * Some OLDMEDLINE citations that have not yet been updated with current vocabulary and converted to MEDLINE status.
    * Citations to articles that are out-of-scope (e.g., covering plate tectonics or astrophysics) from certain MEDLINE journals, primarily general science and general chemistry journals, for which the life sciences articles are indexed with MeSH for MEDLINE.
    * Some life science journals that submit full text to PubMedCentral® and may not yet have been recommended for inclusion in MEDLINE although they have undergone a review by NLM, and some physics journals that were part of a prototype PubMed in the early to mid-1990's.
    * Citations to author manuscripts of articles published by NIH-funded researchers."

In many instances of information discovery the ability to search a larger pool of resources can be beneficial, making PubMed a preferred database relative to Medline.
 

Health care in America is presently much debated. Finding understandable and verifiable data and information that describe issues associated with health care is often hard to derive from the media and other sources of information.
 
The U.S. Census Bureau has published a report on recent measures of income, poverty and health insurance in the United States. Generally, the U.S. Census Bureau is regarded as authoritative in measuring such socio-economic data. Compare these figures with those you hear in the media.
  
A summary of the findings can be found at:
 
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/014227.html
 
The full report is available at:
 
http://www.census.gov/prod/2009pubs/p60-236.pdf

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has created a web portal for all things regarding swine flu:
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/
Included on that page is a link to a  widget that can be embedded into other web pages to create a link to the most recent information offered by the CDC.
 

The sun is coming out. The ambient temperature outdoors is rising. Is that music I hear? I can start my paper tomorrow…
 Recently researchers at University of Washington's Information School investigated undergraduate students’ research behaviors and learned something that is usually treated as common knowledge. Students procrastinate. Specifically, their study found that “a large majority of students reported spending three hours on research and another two hours on writing—one or two days before a 5-7 page course-related research paper was due.” (1)
 The librarians at Colgate would like to help you avoid passively joining this crowd. The following services and resources are now available in addition to regular reference assistance at both libraries.
 A. Augmented research assistance.
 Reference librarians are poised to offer in-depth and extended research assistance through personal appointments. You can make arrangements via a web form:
 http://exlibris.colgate.edu/about/write/mailto_appointment.html
 and use a variety of other means for getting assistance:
 http://exlibris.colgate.edu/services/reference.html
 B. The Assignment Calculator
 The Assignment Calculator is a tool for organizing and scheduling the work flow involved in doing a research project. It is found at:
 http://libscoolsv01.colgate.edu/assncalc/
 C. RefWorks Workshops
 The workshop provides instruction in managing and using information for research papers using the citation management resources of RefWorks. You can also discuss your project with a librarian at that time. The workshops will be held:

• Thursday, 16 April, 3:30-5PM, Case-Geyer 501 (Cronin Lab)
• Monday, 20 April, 3:30-5PM, Case-Geyer 501 (Cronin Lab)

These are drop-in sessions. You are invited to come anytime before 4:30PM.  In addition, you are encouraged to make personal appointment using the means listed above.
 So, nose to the grind-stone. The weather will be warmer and music louder and much more enjoyable when the work is finished.
------------------------------
1. Head, A.J., Eisenberg, M.B. “Finding Context: What Today’s College Students Say about Conducting Research in the Digital Age.” Project Information Literacy Progress Report February 2009. p.7.<Accessed from http://projectinfolit.org/pdfs/PIL_ProgressReport_2_2009.pdf on 8 April, 2009>

This week Colgate is celebrating the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin (Thursday, 12 February.) Cooley Science Library is displaying a number of books from the library's extensive holdings by and about Darwin.  Stop by and browse a while. Other activities for the week include:
 
Tues, 10 Feb KICK-OFF BROWN-BAG TALK - 11:30 am (Ho 101) “Darwin, Plants, and Tropical Biodiversity” Dr. Catherine Cardelús, Biology Department, Colgate
 
Wed, 11 Feb FILM - 7 pm (Love Auditorium) “Darwin’s Dangerous Idea” Episode 1 from the acclaimed PBS series, Evolution: The Triumph of An Idea. Followed by Q&A with faculty.
 
Thur, 12 Feb DEDICATION OF “DARWIN THINKING PATH” and B’DAY PARTY! Thanks to Liddy Kang ’09 for proposing that Colgate dedicate one of its trails as a path - similar to the one Darwin walked each day - where students and faculty can contemplate many exciting or imponderable problems. 4 pm: Meet at top of ski hill (near cemetery) for trail dedication (BYOS: Bring Your Own Skis or Snowshoes - or rent from Outdoor Ed!) 5 pm: Trail dedication followed by 30-part “Tree of Life” birthday cake – baked by Colgate students – in Ho Atrium!
 
Fri, 13 Feb SCIENCE COLLOQUIUM - 3 pm (Love Auditorium) “Darwin and Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters” Dr. Donald Prothero, Occidental College; paleontologist and book author. Talk followed at 4 pm by book signing.
 
And one man's take on why Darwinism Must Die So That Evolution May Live.

The Assignment Calculator is a tool that helps one to schedule the numerous steps (13 steps here, of course ;^) needed to start and complete a research project.  In addition there are links to numerous resources that explain and provide informational support for each of the steps.

The Assignment Calculator is a means to avoid procrastination and research overload.  Use the calculator as soon as you know when a research paper is due, and there will be ample time for completing the entire research process with less stress and more opportunity to produce better research.

Like fresh vegetables, however, if you leave the Assignment Calculator unused in the near term, its utility wanes and becomes less and less helpful.

So take a look, try it out.   The only thing you have to loose is research time.
 

The first ever Open Access day will be October 14th.
 
Peter Suber, a Senior Researcher at the Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC,) defines Open Access literature thusly:
 
“Open-access (OA) literature is digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.”
 
Bo-Christer Björk and others estimate in a recent published conference report that 19.4% of scholarly literature published in serial format in 2006 is accessible in some form of Open Access.
 
Open Access to scholarly literature is refreshing in light of 20 years of serials price inflation that is now well over three times that of the consumer price index and more than twice that of the higher education price index since 1984. Locally, Colgate was forced to cancel over $200,000 dollars worth of journal subscriptions two years ago because of extreme serials price inflation. The situation serves as an impetus to move toward more Open Access publishing.
 
Many scholars and researchers use public funding to do research. In numerous instances they then have to pay to get their work published. Afterwards, researchers and/or their institutions pay again to gain access to that research. The value publishers add, and the compensation they receive for added value, are being questioned, and rightly so.
 
This is largely why publishers of scholarly literature are lobbying lawmakers hard to pass legislation that would undue the recently passed NIH Public Access Policy that requires investigators who receive NIH funding to “submit or have submitted for them to the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed Central an electronic version of their final, peer-reviewed manuscripts upon acceptance for publication, to be made publicly available no later than 12 months after the official date of publication.”
 
New information technologies are challenging old publishing business models. Currently mainstay publishers are attempting to change laws to protect their habits rather than investigate new business models.
 
Open Access publishing offers a viable and attractive alternative to high priced publishing. Indeed, studies suggest that papers published in Open Access journals often have greater impact on successive research and publishing then those published through traditional means. Publishers know that there are successful alternatives to traditional publishing models, hence their efforts to legally limit Open Access publishing. As members of the higher education community, you should be informed of events, developments and changes occurring in the world of scholarly publishing.
 
We’re a bit late for formal celebrations of Open Access day. However, you can take part by spending a few minutes learning more about Open Access and the issues involved by visiting and reading the resources listed below.
 
Open Access Day
-- http://openaccessday.org/
Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition
-- http://www.arl.org/sparc/
students for free culture
-- http://freeculture.org/